UConn senior guard Renee Montgomery, junior center Tina Charles and sophomore forward Maya Moore were among 25 players named as preseason candidates for the Wade Trophy. Here is the complete release.

WBCA Announces Preseason Selections for the 2008-09 "Wade Watch"


ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association, on behalf of the Wade Coalition, announced the 2008-09 preseason "Wade Watch" list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year Tuesday. The 25-member list is made up of top Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

"Once again our committee has done an amazing job putting together a stellar group of student-athletes that have shown their leadership on the court, in the classroom and in the community," said committee chair Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto. "Each one represents all that this award is about, and I look forward to April when we will name another talented woman to this prestigious list."

This year's list has 18 institutions and six conferences represented. Connecticut boasts the highest number of nominees with three (Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore) while Cal (Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker), Duke (Chante Black and Abby Waner), Maryland (Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver), Rutgers (Epiphanny Prince and Kia Vaughn) and Stanford (Jayne Appel and Kayla Pederson) each add two.

The BIG EAST leads all conferences yet again with eight student-athletes followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (6), the Pacific-10 Conference (4), the Big 12 Conference (3), Big Ten Conference (2) and Southeastern Conference (2).

A trio of seniors in Coleman, Paris and Toliver are making the list for the third year. Several others become two-time "Wade Watchers" including Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Appel, Charles, Hampton, Montgomery, Vaughn, Walker and Waner.

The only two-time winners of the Wade Trophy include Louisiana State's Seimone Augustus (2005 and 2006) and Old Dominion's Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980).

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 32nd year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the "Heisman of Women's Basketball", is organized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

The 2009 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, Mo., April 3-7, 2009.

2008-09 State Farm Wade Trophy Preseason List

The preseason candidates for the State Farm Wade Trophy are listed in alphabetical order:


Name
Year
Position
Institution

Jayne Appel
Junior
C
Stanford

Chante Black
Senior
C
Duke

DeWanna Bonner
Senior
G
Auburn

Tina Charles
Junior
C
Connecticut

Marissa Coleman
Senior
G/F
Maryland

Allyssa DeHaan
Junior
C
Michigan State

Krystal Ellis
Senior
G
Marquette

Devanei Hampton
Senior
C
Cal

Jantel Lavender
Sophomore
C
Ohio State

Rashanda McCants
Senior
G/F
North Carolina

Angel McCoughtry
Senior
F
Louisville

Renee Montgomery
Senior
G
Connecticut

Maya Moore
Sophomore
F
Connecticut

Courtney Paris
Senior
C
Oklahoma

Kayla Pederson
Sophomore
F
Stanford

Epiphanny Prince
Junior
G
Rutgers

Andrea Riley
Junior
G
Oklahoma State

Takia Starks
Senior
G
Texas A&M

Kristi Toliver
Senior
G
Maryland

Kia Vaughn
Senior
C
Rutgers

Ashley Walker
Senior
F
Cal

Abby Waner
Senior
G
Duke

Christina Wirth
Senior
G/F
Vanderbilt

Monica Wright
Junior
G
Virginia

Shavonte Zellous
Senior
G
Pittsburgh